Lawmakers are seeking to revitalize Wisconsin hunting through several bill proposals this session.

One bill would add a new color option for safe hunting attire, while another would lift the minimum age for hunting in the state.

Blaze pink is the new orange

Right now all hunters must wear blaze orange clothing to ensure hunter safety, George Meyer, executive director of the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation, said.

“The blaze color has contributed to a very safe Wisconsin hunting season over the years and is an essential safety rule that prevents an individual from being mistaken by another hunter as an animal,” Meyer said.

Reps. Nick Milroy, D-South Range, and Joel Kleefisch, R-Oconomowoc, proposed a bill that would make blaze pink an alternative color option for hunters during firearm season.

Milroy said the bill is a creative marketing strategy to address a sharp decline in the number of hunters in recent years.

“The addition of blaze pink [may] appeal to a broader base of people and … spark interest among individuals to hunt,” Milroy said.

According to Meyer, the additional attire choice may increase the number of hunters marginally by drawing individuals who would prefer to wear pink.

Meyer said while the safety of blaze pink was the biggest concern of the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation, after listening to expert testimonies who said the effectiveness is comparable to blaze orange, the federation considers pink a safe alternative.

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, if the bill becomes law, Wisconsin will be the first to adopt the blaze pink standard.

Minimum age change

Sens. Terry Moulton, R-Chippewa Falls, and Howard Marklein, R-Spring Green, proposed a bill that would remove the age requirement for Wisconsinites to begin the hunting mentor program.

The group also proposed a complimentary bill that would allow for both a hunting student and mentor to each possess a firearm while hunting together, overturning the current law, which permits only one firearm in a mentoring session.

In order to legally hunt with a firearm in Wisconsin, an individual must be at least 12 years old and complete a hunter education class, Meyer said. Currently, the only exception to this law is for a person 10 years or older to hunt with a mentor who stays within an arm’s distance of them.

Milroy said the additional firearm for an inexperienced hunter could threaten the safe hunting experience.

“It is unsafe to have very young children hunting in the field, especially with an expansion in the number of firearms used in the mentor hunter program, and it is a major concern in regards to this bill,” Milroy said.

The concept of the mentor program is to enable children to get an early start at the sport. But the additional firearm, Meyer said, may decrease the level of attention the mentor pays to the student and create unsafe conditions.

Milroy said overall, the increase in hunting bill proposals comes from a desire to increase hunting and maintain tradition in the state.

“The reason for the various proposals in the Assembly regarding the hunting laws is to boost hunting in the state of Wisconsin” Milroy said. “It is a long-standing tradition and the hunters are the primary resource managers of deer herds here in Wisconsin.”

The Senate Committee on Sporting Heritage, Mining and Forestry will be next to consider the bill.